The 93rd Annual Hunger Games
by Zulera301
Summary: Like many from District 2, Victor Caruso and Korra Francisco were as eager as any career tribute to volunteer for the Hunger Games and bring their district honor and glory. Everything seems fairly normal at first, but little do they realize that this year the 'games are far more than mere games, and that something far greater is happening around them, waiting for them to catch on…
1. Chapter 1: The Rebel

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _Welcome one, welcome all, to The 93rd Annual Hunger Games! This is the 3rd volume of my "Fire Without a Spark" series. The series focuses on what Panem was like if Katniss had never volunteered for Prim, and thus the 2nd rebellion had never happened. Those who have read my earlier installments might see a pattern with District 12 and District 2 here, but I assure you that this time is very different (and that the sequel will take a very different focus altogether), so fear not; I am not going to get too repetitive I hope. This _fic obviously contains spoilers about the previous two (AKA who the victors of the 91st and 92nd games were), but other than that, you don't need to read them to understand what is going on in this one. _____This first chapter is kind of a prologue of sorts, and so if you want to skip ahead and read the story without worrying about "Fire Without a Spark" continuity, feel free to skip to chapter 2. Otherwise... Enjoy. ___

__(Reviews, Feedback, Compliments, or [Constructive] Criticism are both welcomed and encouraged, _especially any thoughts about the characters, which is probably what interests me the most.)_

**PART I: BROKEN ODDS**

**Chapter 1: The Rebel**

District 2 was well-known for its populous Victor Village, boasting a total of 16 victors over the last 92 years, most of which were still alive. Some of the oldest ones, like Lyme Golding and Leto Irizari, were in their 70s or 80s, but were still hale. There were statues and stonework all over this little community, for a lot of the victors were actually sick of fighting after returning home from the Hunger Games, and so they took up the district's (former) primary industry, which was Masonry. One of the best-known mentors, Clove Kazera, had erected a pair of large tribute statues outside of the Justice Building—a male and a female, which served as "model tributes" to inspire volunteers from the district for years to come. The male statue was inspired by Marcus Romero, a 6'6", 200-lb 18-year-old who had fought in the 92nd Annual Hunger Games, and taken 3rd overall. His partner Amy had been the victor that year. The female statue was a depiction inspired by Chel Colorado, a similarly massive 18-year-old girl towering at 6'5" and 182 lbs. She had been the female tribute of the 91st Annual Hunger Games, and had taken 2nd place. Her friend and ally, Aveline Togisala of District 12, had returned home the victor that year. Oddly enough, it fostered a very subtle relationship between District 2 and District 12—a striking irony to some, given that '2 was the district most loyal to the Capitol, while District 12 was the opposite—perhaps even moreso than District 8.

But who exactly was Clove, and why was she so popular?

"That's something I still wonder about, you know," Amy quipped, having popped that very question just moments ago while she was playing cards with Clove, as well as Enobaria Taos and Elroy Trujillo, two more past victors.

"It probably has something to do with the fact that I've been a mentor for 19 years now, and counting." Clove shrugged, "I'm not about to force Katsuo or Kaede to go back."

"Are you that against me going alone?" Amy shook her head. "It's not like I couldn't do it. Ava's apparently on her own mentoring, isn't she?"  
>"Aye, but there's a much larger victors' pool here," Clove chuckled,<p>

"And Clove has an emotional attachment to the Capitol," Elroy quipped, elbowing the woman. "They have the best drugs for her."  
>"Shove it, Elroy," Clove slapped a card down on the table, "also, you're taking that queen."<br>Elroy swore and Enobaria chuckled. Hearts was one of those games that could turn around like that.

"But seriously," Amy tilted her head again, "not to act like the new girl all over again, but you always seem to try and dodge the question, Clove. Why do you like mentoring so much?"  
>"To be honest," Clove shrugged, "it just gets my mind off of things. I like getting out of the district. There's a part of me that feels like this District is going to break into a civil war at any time. If District 12 breaks off, I sense riots coming."<p>

"It's doable," Enobaria raised her eyebrows, "The Capitol needs to be knocked down a peg more than meets the eye." This was banter that never left the victors' mansions, for not even they would be safe from the Capitol's wrath if they were heard speaking of rebellion.

"I take it you're still talking with Leto and Lyme about this?" Amy quipped,

"Why wouldn't I be?" the fanged woman retorted, "this isn't just about me, believe it or not. This is about getting the Capitol's grubby hands off of my district."

"Well then we need to teach you the art of subtlety," Amy insisted, "I'm an expert at it. I hate to say it, Ms. Taos… but you are not subtle at all."  
>"I rip throats out." The older woman shrugged. "subtlety is not my thing. Don't act like I'm so stupid that I'd blow cover right now or anything though."<p>

"Fair enough," Amy cracked a small chuckled. "Let's keep playing." It was clear though, that despite no other words being said through the next several games, that all four of them had their minds on one rather prominent subject—revolt. This had been the exact kind of discord in District 2 which Chel had spoken of to Aveline two years ago.

Of course, if there was anywhere in Panem that had some serious discord, it was District 12, which was vying for the position of "most rebellious district" alongside District 8, and arguably (according to some Peacekeepers anyways) had ousted it, even. There had been a few small isolated incidents lately, but luckily not enough to make the Capitol crack down. In fact, all it did was make the district lose power much more frequency, as if the Capitol simply wanted to slap them on the wrist rather than get involved. At around 14,000, District 12 had the smallest population by a decent margin. They were not large enough to cause lasting damage on their own.

But, when Reaping Day came for them, the people of District 12 shuffled into the square without incident, and followed protocol all the way to the calling of the names. The four living victors sat down on a row of seats next to the Capitol officials behind the escort, their arms crossed as they quietly watched the ritual unfold before them. They were a close-knit bunch: Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss Everdeen, Vigo Zakatau, and Aveline Togisala all had the same stoic expressions on their faces. They knew that what was about to happen was not at all pretty.

Shortly after the usual propaganda film concluded, a pale woman with dark, spiky blue hair and vibrant red eyes strode onto the stage, her frilly knee-length skirts bouncing with each step. Despite the rather harsh feelings that a lot of District 12 had towards the Capitol, they did not show it towards this woman. This was Junichi Thatch; escort for the District 12 tributes. She dressed vividly, although never too garishly, and as long as she had not changed in the last year too much, the people were pretty sure this woman was still rather humble and down-to-earth—a surprisingly relatable woman.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome!" she beamed, going into a miniature speech that most people were sure was mandatory for her to give, before she cut right to the point. "And now it is time to choose our tributes for the 93rd Annual Hunger Games… and as is always—ladies first,"

Junichi stepped over to one of the large glass bowls that held the girls' names, running her hand through it a bit to mix it up to keep things fair for those who registered later. She did this for a few seconds, perhaps also to build suspense in the Capitol, or some might even say she was looking for a particular name, although a moment later she produced a slip of paper between her fingers. Gently unfolding it, she called out the name:

"_Sacajawea Kwan!"_

"I KNEW IT!" was the girl's exclamation as her name was picked.  
>"No, Saki!" a younger girl shouted. Clearly that was her nickname or something, but instead of a fight or some other commotion that might need to involve Peacekeepers, a large, 18-year-old girl stumped up to the stage without resistance, with skin as brown as her jacket and hair as black as the coal dust on said jacket. Junichi frowned for a moment, giving the girl a look of sympathy. There was clearly something going on here that was not being shared—some kind of wordless communication.<p>

"And now for the boys…" Junichi stepped over to the bowl with the boys' names without any other subtle actions, and dipped her hand into it. She repeated the same motions as she had for the girls before fishing out a name from the edge of the bowl. She opened it up and read it aloud.

"_Jeremy Pescado!"_

A lightly tanned, brown-haired boy with rather long flowing hair similar to Vigo's stepped out of the crowds and came forward standing next to Sacajawea on the stage. There was a somber silence even as Junichi wrapped up.

"Ladies and Gentlemen..." she cleared her throat for a moment, "your tributes from District 12 for the 93rd Annual Hunger Games: Jeremy Pescado and Sacajawea Kwan!"

There was silence—a blatant lack of applause, but everyone raised their fingers in a respectful gesture that was commonplace among District 12 and District 11.

Saki and Jeremy's parents, as well as Saki's younger siblings, crowded in to say what was likely to be their final goodbyes. Jeremy noticed that Sacajawea's remarks did seem to be rather foreboding. As they were escorted to the car that would take them to the train station a few minutes later, Jeremy turned to his partner.

"you seemed rather pessimistic," he noted, "I've seen you around even if we've never talked. You've got what it takes to crawl out of this thing alive."  
>"I'm not counting myself out just yet," Saki admitted, "but there's this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that this year will be different."<br>"In what way," Jeremy raised an eyebrow,

"I'm not sure," Saki shrugged, "but it'll be in a way that few realize the magnitude of until it's too late to be stopped. The 93rd Hunger Games will be great and terrible, to say the least, and Panem will never forget them…"


	2. Chapter 2: Frenzy Day

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _And now we meet the main characters. Despite her name, the main character is not based off of Avatar Korra in any (intended) way, and so any similarities are entirely coincidental. This sets the stage for the next few chapters, where development and other revelations till take place, and we learn a brief story about a past Hunger Games. in the meantime, Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 2: Frenzy Day**

"Reaping Day"… why they still called it that in District 2 was still a mystery to Korra Francisco, given that it was more like "Frenzy Day", given the crazy things that potential career tributes would do in the frantic rush from the line to the escort's stage. No one had actually ever died during it, but there had been some considerable injuries, and now and again a girl would get her skirt ripped off or something. A few girls last year had almost suffered that fate, although they had all been bested by the tiniest girl in their ranks—a little thing named Amy Zavala. It was impressive enough that a 14-year-old was willing to try her hand at volunteering so early, and it was another thing when she was successful enough to make it to the stage. But much more impressive than that, was that now there she was, standing with her arms crossed on the stage next to the bubbly escort, Delun Frost, who was going through the introductory rituals of the 93rd Annual Hunger Games: the Capitol videos, the list of past victors, and that sort of thing—typical protocol stuff.

Amy Zavala though—she was impressive because she had returned home as the victor of the 92nd Annual Hunger Games the year before. She had had a perfect training score, and had established herself as the leader of her career alliance, holding it together despite all odds.

That was not what excited Korra though. No, what excited her was that this was going to be her year. Her 18th birthday was in less than a month, but she didn't want to wait. If a tiny kid like Amy could do it, a stronger kid like her could easily make it. Korra jostled her way through throngs of older girls between the ages of about 14 and 18, although most of them were 17 or 18. District 2 girls seemed to come in two sizes: large, heavyset girls who could swing heavy weapons with ease, and smaller, lightning-quick girls that usually specialized in stealth and fast-paced projectile weapons. Korra was sort of a mix between the two. She had a solid, athletic frame, but was also more slender and built for speed: in fine, strong and fast—definitely a competitor this year.

Atop the stage, Amy turned to her own mentor, Clove Kazera, watching the girls and boys separate and get into place. Each year was always full of promising recruits, and that mentality was encouraged all throughout the district. Flanking the two mentors, the escort, and the other Capitol officials were two large statues of a young man and a young woman, which had been erected over the last two years by Clove herself. On the right was a statue of Chel Colorado, the District 2 girl from the 91st Hunger Games, and on the left was Marcus Romero, the District 2 boy from the 92nd Hunger Games.

"Think we'll get another Chel or Marcus," Amy raised her eyebrows, glancing at the two magnificent statues on either side of her.

"Doubtful," Clove shook her head, "You know me—I stalk the academies like it's my job or something. Most of these boys and girls seem like your stock career tributes. Even I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. We need more Chels and Marcuses though. Remember what Enobaria said."  
>"If anyone leads a rebellion or a riot, it's gonna be her," Amy muttered, "she'll be the first to die, and then the first to start a riot because of her death."<br>"Don't count her out so swiftly," Clove retorted, "Enobaria's much smarter than she looks. Anyways, let's be quiet and watch the reaping. The girls are about to start…"

A gunshot was fired (into the air of course) to signal the start of the frenzied dash, and the girls all took off. The faster ones pulled ahead, but the stronger ones were able to drag them down or shove them off their feet in the vicious scramble. Clothing was grabbed, and so was hair. Luckily, Korra did not face either of those things just yet, and she zigzagged through the other brawling girls till she was knocked over. Someone had grabbed her shirt. Korra wasted no time, and spun around, kicking the offending girl in the face before flipping herself over, slamming her feet against another girl's back, dropping her instantly. She used that girl as leverage before she nearly catapulted herself onto the stage. Another girl had nearly beaten her there, but at the last moment, Korra spun around and slugged her with a mean left hook that sent her sprawling off the stage.

"I'm not even left-handed!" she laughed triumphantly, flipping some auburn hair out of her fair-skinned face, as Delun took the girl's hand and held it in the air. He asked for Korra's name for a second before he went and announced it.

"Ladies and gentlemen—our female tribute this year: Korra Francisco! Now… for the boys…"

The boys lined up and were jostling each other similar to how the girls were, and when the gunshot went off, they scrambled for the stage being just as aggressive as the girls had been. Oddly, they were not as brutal as the girls has been, but there were still people getting punched in the gut or kicked in the face before a boy with shoulder-length blond hair made it to the stage, throwing his arms up in triumph. Delun asked his name just as he had with Korra's before announcing it.

"Ladies and gentlemen—our male tribute this year: Victor Caruso!"

Like many career tributes, Korra and Victor were fairly familiar with each other, both of them being near the same age (Korra was only 17, while Victor was 18), and so they high-fived each other before heading into the Justice Building to say their goodbyes. The Hunger Games were simply business to District 2, and so even their goodbyes were short and sweet. soon they were hauled into a car which took them to the train station, and in turn, towards the Capitol, where the beginning of their new lives would begin.

Once in the train, they encountered Amy and Clove again, and Korra couldn't help but be a little vocal with her thoughts.

"I was expecting you to retire after least year," she quipped to the older woman.

"I can't retire," Clove laughed, "mentoring is in my blood now. I'll be here till I die. Even then though, Amy's your primary mentor. I'm mostly just here for the ride."

"but you have so much more experience," Korra argued, "Amy's just a kid."

"Aveline from District 12 was just a kid," Clove argued, "but both of them still know a hell of a lot more about the Hunger Games than you."

"And you know more about the games than them." Victor argued, "you're almost 37."

"Ha, but you're overlooking one important aspect." Clove warned, "I'm not a humble woman. I'm not going to pretend that I don't know 301 ways to kill you both within seconds using items in this train car. However, I am also a very envious woman. Aveline and Amy are mentally stable—so listen to Amy as a mentor. Don't knock her just because she's younger than you."

"Respect is something earned, not given," Victor indicated,

"And winning the Hunger Games—crawling out of that hellhole alive—is something that is misunderstood and not respected enough." Amy butted in, "It's not a sense of entitlement, kids—one of you is coming home if I have anything to say about it. I made a promise to send a message. However, I'm going to need your cooperation. I've been through the games, and so I'm here to make sure that one of you manages to crawl out of whatever horrible arena they put you in."

Now Victor and Korra seemed considerably more Amy's words.

"Good to see interest," the tiny girl smiled, "now, first off—remember that age is just a number. I won the 'games at 14, a trait only shared with District 4's Finnick Odair, District 2's Leto Irizari, and District 8's Alice DeSiete. Then of course there's Ikki—the only 12-year-old to ever win the Hunger Games."

The 77th Hunger Games were still considered some of the most legendary games in Panem history because of that. No one under 14 had ever won the games before, and even to this day, no others have. And yet, that year, tiny little Ikki Ortolani, an unsuspecting tribute from District 3 who had barely turned 12 not but a week before the reaping, went into the games with a training score of 6, and then managed to kill 10 tributes on her own. 7 of them had been in the final moments of the games, where the girl had electrified them in an elaborate trap that had utilized most of the arena.

"As long as you try to help us get home and achieve fame and glory," Korra smirked, "I'm willing to do just about anything you say. Do we have a deal?"  
>Amy thought about this for a moment before nodding. "Aye, we have a deal."<p> 


	3. Chapter 3: Greater Schemes

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _There is a lot of subtlety and a lot of not-so-subtlety going on in this chapter. We learn a thing or two about some of the other tributes, and Delun is in on something that Junichi is also in on, apparently. Clearly there is something going on that they are not telling their tributes, and while there might be plenty of theories... no, they are not trying to stage a revolution here. Not this year, anyhoo._  
><em>Happy Reading!<em>

**CHAPTER 3: Greater Schemes**

Amy flipped a switch and caused a TV screen to lower in front of her and her tributes. "So here's what's going to happen" she began, "I'm going to give you a rundown of what kind of enemies you're up against this year. You're going to do what I say because I know what I'm doing. My buddies from Districts 1, 2, and 3 last year didn't nominate me as the leader of the pack because of my good looks. Panem could always do with more leaders in the Hunger Games. Just look at kids like Monica or Iris, even. Sadistic as they might have been, those kids knew what they were doing."

"Well then," Victor suggested, "Let's check out our competition, shall we?"  
>Korra was briefly impressed at knowing that events that occurred mere hours ago were already publicly available to watch, but she shifted her mind towards the real subject at hand—the tributes.<p>

"Cobalt Efran and Vivian Nelson, District 1…" Amy began, showing the proud pair of tributes from the Luxury District, "they've kind of had a losing streak that they consider lengthy—Nailah Zoraki from the 79th Hunger Games was their last victor—an alcoholic, but also was a prized fighter back in her day. I would definitely still recommend them for your career pack. Besides—a lack of wins doesn't always mean poor performance. District 12 for example, used to rank fairly high even if they were unable to produce a victor. Case in point—they were one tribute away from having two consecutive victors."

"District 2 has a victor this year," Victor chuckled, "and then when I win, it will have Victor the victor!"

Korra and Amy couldn't help but chuckle at this.

"You're no Marcus, kid," the tiny mentor smirked, "but that was a good one; I'll give you that."

"Victor Caruso and Korra Francisco, District 2…" Amy continued, acting as if these weren't the same people in front of them, "Perhaps a little overconfident, but nothing that can't be fixed with a good mentor or two."

"You're a riot, Amy," Korra quipped, elbowing the tiny girl. "Let's see the others."

Amy proceeded to give them the rundown of the remaining tributes. The District 3 pair was rather young this year, but they looked as clever as ever. District 4 looked fairly young as well, and hopefully would pull out of their rut that they were sinking into. Ever since Gill Wainright had won the 90th Hunger Games, every District 4 tribute had died in the bloodbath except for Iris Durango.

District 5 looked cunning—Korra figured that at least one of them would make it out of the bloodbath, which seemed to be commonplace in recent years. District 6 produced a pair of tributes that looked like they were on drugs. The boy, a rather large individual, had actually volunteered no less.

"Any idea what that kid's motives are?" Korra piped up.

"I'm wondering the same thing," Amy shrugged, "maybe he's had a bit too much Substance 21 and isn't thinking straight. That smaller girl next to him looks the same way." There was a certain pink-eyed look that both of them had that might have explained District 6's performance in recent years.

District 7 produced a pair of 15-year-olds that looked a bit more physically fit than usual, but Amy was swift to remind them that even tiny little tributes could best them if they were not careful. District 8 was similar, except they were a little skinnier, probably from working a less physically demanding industry. Districts 9 and 10 didn't appear to be a threat again, but that was fairly normal.

District 11, however, produced another burly pair of tributes—the kind that looked like they could rip another tribute's arm out or something. They would be dangerous, and Korra not only mentally noted this, but also took Amy's warning to heart.

District 12 was similar, although the girl had an odd reaction to the reaping when all was said and done. Victor and Korra both noted this, with the latter of the two voicing it.

"Did she like, know that she was going to be picked or something?" she tilted her head, "or are they trying to rig the reaping so that they'll get themselves another winner?"

"It worked for them during the first Quarter Quell," Clove piped up, "the districts had to choose their tributes. A kid named Laurel Fox from District 12 took the crown that year. Then again, she was also supposedly kind of a bitch, so maybe she was just unpopular? Makes me wish she was still alive…"

"And then they kept their record of winning every Quell since then," Amy quipped, "victors have done some pretty crazy things in their lives."  
>"So what makes you so smart," Korra began, "I mean… no offense or anything, but you're the newest victor of the games, and you act like you know it all. Maybe you do—I'm not trying to be an ass or anything; I'm just curious."<br>"It's called doing research," Amy shrugged, "Besides, once you join the Hunger Games you will never have a private life again. Well… that's not entirely true, but most people will know a lot about you—especially fellow victors, who meet you in the Capitol and such."

"I like you," Korra nodded her approval, "you're straightforward and honest, and you tell things exactly how they are. I know I've said it before, but I really liked your District 12 speech 6 months ago."  
>"Brown-nosing the mentor isn't going to get her to forget about what you said earlier," Victor teased,<p>

"Oh, can it already, Victor." Korra elbowed him, "that wasn't brown-nosing. I like a direct approach like that—and besides, they should have been enemies, but they applauded her." she took the remote and flipped through her options till she found recaps of the 92nd Victory Tour. They listened to Amy's speech as she stepped up to the podium on the screen.

"_I'm not going to give any of you the sentimental nonsense that you might expect from a shining example that District 2 says it provides for Panem. I am going to say exactly how I feel about this place, and exactly how I feel about Rafael West and Monica Savage. They were my enemies, as anyone who watched the games surely knows, but I respected them. They were cunning, strong, and determined. They had what it took to become more than just a tribute. In them was the stuff from which legends are born." _That was the part that stood out the most to Victor and Korra: the stuff of legend. Immediately the young tribute pair wondered if they would become legendary that way too or not.

They watched the rest of the speech and noticed that Amy was wearing the same golden hoop earrings now that she had been during that tour.

"You like those earrings or something?" Victor had noticed too, and had asked this time.

"When all is said and done, aye; I do," Amy nodded, "Korra was a little off base when she said I was straightforward and honest about everything, but one of the first rules about talking to a victor is that you don't try to weasel things out of them that they don't want to share."  
>Korra and Victor glanced over at Clove, who nodded in agreement.<p>

"She's right," the older woman nodded, "victors are some strange people, really. There are less than 92 of us that even understand what we've even been through. It's… not as easy as some of us make it look. Amy has it pretty well. Me? I'm not so lucky. Katsuo and Kaede from '82 and '81? They make even me want to cry sometimes."

Discussion about the tributes and the games went on later into the night. The trains went at different speeds so that all twelve districts could arrive at the Capitol at the same time, and so there'd be a brief night spent on the rails before the arrival at the glamorous city tomorrow morning.

Victor and Korra had called it a night, leaving Amy and Clove alone with the gentle hum of the train and the rails being the only real noise for a while until Delun stepped in. He too was wearing a pair of those golden hoop earrings just as Amy was, his green curls nearly concealing them.

"Do they know," he asked, sitting across a table from the two victors.

"It went way over their heads," Amy indicated, "they're vaguely aware that something happened to Sacajawea's reaping, but Junichi's expressions didn't tip them off either."

"Ah," Delun sighed, "all of a sudden it makes sense why you wanted to be in District 12, sister;" he was referencing Junichi, since the two escorts were in fact siblings, "so she's seriously moving things into place already?"  
>"She's been doing it for years," Clove almost laughed, "We've got a lot of discord to deal with before we're at that level though."<p>

"Then I suppose we just wait," Amy shrugged, "Let the 93rd Hunger Games play out and see where they take us or something?"

"Exactly," Delun nodded, "in the meantime, you two should get some rest. The Capitol won't be too happy to see a pair of exhausted victors!"

"Fair enough," Amy chuckled, and grunting, she got up and pulled Clove to her feet, where the two of them parted ways at their rooms, aware of a simple truth:  
>More games were going on than just the 93rd Annual Hunger Games.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4: Welcome to the Capitol

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _So it seems I've fallen into a sort of pattern where I update every 4 days except Sundays. Yesterday's update was delayed due to technical issues; I had had the chapter done and everything. Anyhoo...we get to see some philosophical conversation between Victor and Korra, and they manage to reach the Capitol. That means the real fun begins very soon._  
><em>Happy Reading!<em>

**CHAPTER 4: Welcome to The Capitol**

Victor and Korra woke up the next morning refreshed and ready for the day. They washed and got dressed for the morning, meeting Delun and their mentors out in the dining car to have some breakfast before their life in the Capitol would begin—and where the lives of 23 children would end within the next few weeks. Like most tributes, they were surprised at the purple chemical showers and the Capitol's knowledge of each district's fashion, but otherwise, it was fairly normal.

"Mornin'" Amy nodded at her tributes as they sat down to eat. Clove was nowhere to be seen, but she was probably just sleeping in again. "are you ready to hit the big time?"  
>"Of course," Korra smirked, "we're ready for anything. What's it like?"<br>"Well, for one—potentially both of you—it's the last place you'll ever see," Amy warned, "you kids should know me by now. I don't sugar-coat things. One of you is going to die out there—both of you if you're not careful."  
>"You don't say," Korra rolled her eyes, "honestly, I suspected that Gamemaker Zurok would change the rules this year and let there be two victors if they were from the same district. Victor and I would just team up and destroy everyone in the first minute and 33 seconds, and then we'd go home."<p>

Victor chuckled. "Nice choice of number," he quipped, noting that a minute and 33 seconds was in fact 93 seconds.

"That's not what I'm saying at all," Amy argued, her voice remaining as calm and low as it always had, "what I'm saying is that you need to know your enemy. Watch the other tributes—learn as much as you can about them, friend or foe. It was my analytical skills that put me in as the leader of the career pack last year, and it was that which helped me win the games. District 12's Monica Savage came within seconds of killing me. Anyways, despite my remarks, know that I'm watching out for you, and that I am determined to bring at least one of you home. I made a promise, after all."  
>"Please tell me you're not just trying to bring one of us home to send your message," Victor grunted.<p>

"Right," Amy snarked, "I'm totally sick of District 2 victors and so I don't want my own tributes to actually win anything for me. It will help my message, but it's not like I'm your mentor because Clove retired or anything. I'm mentoring you because I want to produce a victor. If my victor is named Victor… well, that sounds like bonus points to me." she cracked a chuckle.

"Hey," Korra piped up, "don't be taking sides now."  
>"I'm not," Amy shook her head, taking a drink, "You two really need to unwind. Have a drink or something—sheesh. You're completely missing the point."<br>"What is the point then?" Korra's green eyes met Amy's brown ones.

"My point is simple," the tiny girl quipped, "LIVE. You have spent years at the academies training for this moment, and now here you are. You outsmarted and outmuscled all of your peers just to reach that stage. Odds are that you'll both score 11s or 12s in training. Chances are that you both will end up killing several other tributes on your way to the victor's throne."

"And that…" said a voice from behind them "is why you are an awesome mentor, Amy." It was Clove, wearing shorts and a tanktop, a cup of coffee in her hands, and her hair still frizzy. Clearly, she had just woken up a few moments ago.

"You hear that," she continued, sitting down, "that's this old codger agreeing with the kid. Victor; Korra; Amy is here to help you. Don't think for a moment that she aims to do otherwise."

Clove's words seemed to put Korra and Victor in their places for good this time. In truth, Amy was the youngest one of the four, and so for the prideful tributes of District 2, it was a little difficult sometimes for them to take orders from a kid younger than them. Marcus Romero last year had been an exception, since he had acknowledged personally that Amy's leadership skills were respectable.

Delun, who had remained quiet during most of this conversation, finally also spoke up.

"We'll be arriving in the Capitol shortly—you all best be getting ready!"

Unbeknownst to Korra or Victor, he also exchanged glances with Amy and Clove, who simply nodded.

About an hour later, the magnificent Capitol came into view. Korra and Victor admittedly found themselves gazing at the glittering city, a little bit mesmerized by it all. It was nearly noon, and so they were having lunch around now. Similarly, at this point, the two tributes had joined Amy and Clove in a game of cards, where the victors ended up more or less steamrollering them.

"How are you so good at this game?" Korra tilted her head.

"Mentors play a lot of card games," Amy quipped, "and dice games. Just don't play with Clove too much. She'll cheat."

"Don't play cards with Katniss either," Clove nodded, "she'll attack you if you beat her."

"I'm sorry; I don't care where you're from—that was hilarious." Amy laughed.

"I hope the cameras got my good side," Clove laughed.  
>Korra and Victor were slightly glad when they finally pulled into the Capitol station. Whatever was going on between Clove and Amy had gone over their heads, and so they had kind of felt excluded. Both of them put enough faith into Amy to be able to potentially produce another District 2 victor, but on the other hand, they felt like there was something going on behind their backs that they were not being told about. Knowing that they were being kept from a secret (or at least assuming that they were) was never exactly a pleasant thing.<p>

Either way, their attitudes shifted significantly once they exited the train and got to greet the Capitol crowds for the first time. They were wild over their favorite District's tributes, who eagerly and loyally volunteered for the games year after year. Korra smiled and waved, and actually looked kind of cute. Victor chanted his name, and pumped up the crowds by telling them that they would soon get a victor named Victor. As 'punny' as it might have been the airheaded crowds ate it all up. The boy certainly had charisma that might make certain victors turn their heads if they saw. And of course, Delun was welcomed back, an enthusiastic grin plastered over his face, while Amy and Clove were given a very fond welcome, given how much the Capitol loved their victors of previous games.

Without further ado, they managed to make it to the tribute tower, where they were escorted to the 2nd floor. It did not escape Victor's mind that 23 of the kids that were now making themselves at home in this building would be dead in less than a month—probably within 3 weeks, since training was a week and then the games usually lasted about two weeks.

"Welp," Delun grinned once the District 2 team reached the luxurious apartment, "make yourselves at home! This is where you'll be spending the next week anyways, so you best be enjoying it. Although don't go too far—Misaha and Zakuya will be coming to meet you in a little bit!"

Korra and Victor did just that, and got comfortable. Clove and Amy disappeared down one of the hallways to what presumably led to their rooms, while the opposite hallway was designated for the tributes. Victor turned to his partner and spoke.

"So how does it feel," he asked her, "knowing that you and 22 others could be dead in a few weeks?"  
>"It just feels," Korra shrugged, "Not that I'd count out the notion of me coming out alive, but it's just… business, I guess. I never really thought about it, to be honest. How about you?"<br>"It's a strange feeling," Victor shrugged, "like my whole life has been working towards this, and now here it is, culminating in this. Tonight we show off for the Capitol, and then starting tomorrow we show off for the tributes. I might watch the reaping footage again tonight."  
>"That's not a bad idea," Korra gestured with a shrug, "to be honest, I never really gave any of this much thought. I kind of just jumped right in and made things up as I went. District 2 told us to volunteer, and so I volunteered. Here I am."<p>

"And interesting take, if I say so myself," Victor agreed, "Although if I have to tell you who to take sides with in the 'games, we might have a problem."  
>"What do you take me for?" Korra laughed, "a backstabber?"<br>"Chel Colorado was," Victor quipped,

"Hey, she was awesome." Korra insisted, "Clove doesn't just build statues out of anyone, you know."  
>"I'll convince her to build one of me," Victor smirked, "how about you?"<br>"I didn't come here to just be forgotten dead tribute #2159 now," Korra laughed. "I came here to win—and that's exactly what I tend to do. Nothing—and no one—will get in my way."


	5. Chapter 5: Between the Lines

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Parade time. This chapter gives a little insight into some of the new tributes, as well as a bit of what Snow might think of District 12. There is some very subtle foreshadowing here, but I suppose that it's far too early to be drawing conclusions, and so the truth will come in time._  
><em>Happy Reading!<em>

**CHAPTER 5: Between the Lines**

It was not too much longer after the tributes had settled in and gotten a decent little conversation going, when Delun showed back up, with a mysterious pair of white-haired individuals in tow. They were dressed similarly, and in shades of gold and red. Glittery eye-masks that might be seen at a masquerade party graced their faces, and large white protruded from either side of them. Their outfits had a few other glittery embellishments, and the woman's right leg from hip to ankle showed through a long slit in her skirts. Amy recognized them as Zakuya and Misaha, her stylists from last year. Clove recognized them as the District 11 stylists, which was where they had been during the 74th Annual Hunger Games.

"Korra, Victor," Delun beamed, motioning first towards the man, and then to the woman, "this is Misaha and Zakuya. They will be your stylists for the 'games."

"The good news, kids," the older mentor piped up, "is that those two have been in the business for decades. However, I've never heard them say a single word—you can talk to 'em, but they won't use words to respond."  
>"Well… that's… something," Korra raised an eyebrow curiously, "Now I'm not so sure."<br>"I'm no Capitol suckup," Amy piped up, "but I've been there and done this. These two really are the best of the best. Follow them to the prep room, and they'll guide you from there."  
>With a shrug, Victor and Korra parted ways, following Zakuya and Misaha down to said prep room. Victor found himself being instructed wordlessly to disrobe and to climb into a peculiar shower, which he did with a slight apprehensiveness, but he got over it fairly quickly. The Capitol seemed to have no qualms whatsoever with nudity, and thus it all felt fairly professional to the boy. The shower was similar to the chemical bath that he had taken on the train into the Capitol, and so it was not as surprising as he had expected. He was then cleaned up a little bit to fit the "Capitol Bill" as he called it, before he was dried off and led to the actual studio proper, where he would be dressed in his chariot costume.<p>

Victor was dressed in colors of silver and dark green, with the clothing being thick but comfortable. His hair was styled up a little bit to look more tribal, and black and grey warpaint was applied to his face. When Zakuya motioned him towards the mirror, he found that he really did look like some sort of dark green tribal warrior, which to him, was frankly, kind of cool. Only his fingertips, elbows, and part of his neck showed the color of his skin, for he had been decked out in gloves, boots, pants, and a tunic, among other things.

"So are you ever going to say anything?" Victor tilted his head after he was finished. Instead of responding, Zakuya simply pointed to his outfit as if to ask what he thought of it.

"Well, it's cool," Victor admitted, "I'm just wondering if you guys had your tongues cut out or something. You're not Avoxes, are you?"  
>Zakuya simply grinned, flashing a perfectly intact tongue. Either he was mute, or simply did not wish to speak. Popular rumor among District 2 victors (started by Clove, and perpetuated by Amy) was that these stylists had never spoken to any tribute. Perhaps they were simply lying and really were mute.<p>

Either way, Victor found himself being escorted back out into the main hall that would lead to the chariots, where the tributes would all congregate before boarding said chariots and kicking off the parade. Victor saw District 1's tributes all decked out in glitzy and glittery outfits as usual (oddly, both of them were pink this year, even the boy's. He did not seem perturbed about it though), and for a moment, he found himself admiring the girl's legs, before someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey there big guy… How do I look?" it was Korra, and she was dressed almost identically except for small adjustments to her clothing to fit her dimensions more appropriately.

"like you're ready to kill someone," Victor smirked, "so perfect."

"Good," Korra nodded approvingly, "Let's take a look at what we're up against this year."  
>There were a few impressive-looking outfits this year. The District 3 pair were fiddling with something on their black and green outfits, and seemed to be walking fairly close to each other. District 11 seemed to have gone after a 'red-earth' type theme with the color of their robes, and their arms were wrapped in green cloth that was supposed to resemble vines.<p>

District 12 was particularly interesting this year though, having a simple but powerful message. Both of them were clad in shimmering black robes with prop scythes in their hands and black paint on their faces. This getup was topped off with what appeared to be black mist trailing behind them. Korra recognized this getup as a personification of death, which to her raised plenty of red flags. If the stylists didn't dress up a tribute geared towards their industry, usually the costume reflected the nature of one or both of the tributes. Clearly these two were killers then.

"I gotta admit," Victor pointed his thumb towards the District 12 pair, "those effects are pretty freakin' sweet. I still think ours are cooler—it says so much without going overboard."  
>While District 2 might have been loyal to the Capitol, even they didn't quite get the need for so many embellishments either. It was one of the few things every district could agree on.<p>

Soon enough though, the tributes were boarding the chariots as the anthem began to play to welcome them to the Capitol of Panem. As always, District 1 led the way, starting the parade off with much cheering and applauding, which seemed to grow louder as District 2 appeared.

About halfway through the parade, Korra glanced back and learned why there was all of a sudden a huge burst of applause from behind them. The kids from District 3 had flipped a switch or something on their costumes, and now there was a floating marquee that hovered around the tribute pair's waists that simply read "SUPPORT DISTRICT 3" over and over.

"I love it!" Caesar Flickerman commented, where Claudius Templesmith nodded in agreement. They usually had a few words to add to the chariot parade, which was televised like all the rest. "District 3 has always been a clever bunch, and definitely had to do something impressive to outshine district 2 before them! Do you think they did it?"  
>"It's hard to say…" Claudius noted, "Seems we'll have to wait for the arena!"<p>

The two made continual commentary all the way through the remaining chariots.

"And what's this?" Claudius interjected again as the ending chariot came into better view,

"Well I'll be!" Caesar exclaimed, "it's death himself—or herself… or both!" he laughed at his own joke, referring to the District 12 pair and their ominous costumes.

As usual, the cheering got slightly louder again upon reaching Districts 11 and 12, but soon enough the chariots were forming a semicircle around the president's balcony, where Coriolanus Snow would give his annual speech. Some of the kids in the more rebellious districts always wondered when he would finally kick the bucket, but even at his age, he was still rather hale. Capitol technology and medicinal research seemed to be top-notch for the beloved president.

Just as it was every year, the speech was short and simple.

"Welcome to the 93rd Annual Hunger Games," He said in his usual calm but commanding tone. "And may the odds be ever in your favor."

With this, the chariots were dismissed. Korra looked back one more time towards President Snow, and noticed that his eyes briefly locked with the District 12 chariot. However, she was too far ahead to see which of the tributes he had stared at, or what his expression had been.

As the tributes disembarked to go their separate ways, Korra turned to Victor and smirked.

"Wanna get a sneak peek of the training room before we show everyone up tomorrow?" she offered,

"What kind of career tribute wouldn't?" he laughed, and snickering the whole way, the two tributes took an elevator down, almost acting as if they were getting into trouble (when in reality, they were not. The training center was basically accessible at all times).

Naturally, it was everything they expected and more. Weapons of all sorts line various shelves and stations, almost as if calling out to be used. The District 2 pair both picked up a pair of clubs and swung them around a bit.

"Heh, now we really look like warriors," Victor interjected.

"I'll say," Korra agreed, "but… this is going to sound weird. Now that I'm here… part of me wants to let the suspense lull me to sleep tonight so I can wake up earlier tomorrow and start training sooner."  
>"I'm game for that," Victor shelved the club, "we've got a whole week ahead of us to do this thing. I'm pretty sure that we'll be just fine…"<p> 


	6. Chapter 6: To Be a Champion

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _slightly late chapter given the holiday season and such, and so the stories might take a little hiatus and/or be slow in updating for the next week or two till the holidays boil over. As far as the story itself goes though, we get the warmup act before the training, where we will meet the tributes properly, and learn who is suspicious, who might be friendly, and who to watch out for. Also, "Saki" is just a nickname for Sacajawea for obvious reasons._  
><em>Happy Reading!<em>

**CHAPTER 6: To Be a Champion**

Korra and Victor did not linger long in the training center, although they had also not been the only ones to visit the training center for a little bit, and so while it was not surprising to see a couple of tributes join them on the way up, Korra was a bit surprised to see Amy follow them.

"What were you doing down here?" she asked curiously, glancing from her to Victor, to the other two tributes that were waiting for an elevator—Sacajawea (Saki) from District 12, and Garrett, that massive boy from District 6.

"Just mentor things," the tiny girl indicated, "I wanted to meet up with my buddy '91."  
>"91?" Victor tilted his head,<p>

"Aye," Amy nodded as the elevator doors finally opened, "Aveline is '91, and I'm '92. Whoever wins this year will be '93. See the pattern?"

"Got it" Victor nodded, and then turned to the large District 6 boy who was next to the buttons. "mind hitting 2 for us?"

With a silent nod, the large boy hit 2, 6, and 12 so that the occupants of the elevator could get off at each floor. Amy's eyes briefly met Saki's, but neither one said anything, and neither Korra nor Victor noticed this exchange of looks.

Without hesitation, Korra flopped onto the sofa, still in her full costume, once they reached the 2nd floor a few moments later. "man… WHAT. A. DAY!" she laughed, stretching her arms and hanging one of her legs over the back of the sofa. "I can't wait for tomorrow!"

"There will be plenty of time for that." Amy chuckled, heading down the other hallway to find Clove, "just don't stay up too late taking each other's clothes off or whatever it is you kids do."  
>Korra rolled her eyes and turned to Victor. "I don't get how she calls us kids when she's 15, and we're 17 and 18," she interjected, "and she's tiny, no less."<br>"I can maybe enlighten you on the subject," Delun suggested, "at least, if what my sister says is true anyways—but I digress. Victors and Mentors are very special people. They have seen and done things that no one else in Panem has done. That is why the Capitol holds them in such high regard. They learn and experience things that take most of us decades to learn. That is where Amy's maturity comes from, and since most tributes lack that kind of maturity that comes with winning a Hunger Games, I suppose she feels okay with calling you kids because of it."  
>"That was surprisingly insightful for a guy that I thought was just a ditzy airhead," Korra quipped, "I guess I shouldn't have underestimated you, Delun."<p>

"I'll take that as a compliment," the curly-haired man laughed, before sitting up, grabbing a nearby drink, and heading down the same corridor that Amy had gone down. After the tributes were alone, Korra spoke up again.

"So… Hunger Games. This is it, huh—the moment we've been training our whole lives to reach."

"I'm pretty stoked too, if that's what you're asking," Victor chuckled, sitting next to Korra, who set up to accommodate him, "I don't really care what Amy's message is, but if it involves bringing home another District 2 victor—especially if his name *is* Victor… then I certainly can't complain."  
>"What if the victor's name is Korra?" Korra giggled.<p>

"Well… I suppose that it would be the next best thing," Victor shrugged, "but obviously I want to win too. No offense or anything."  
>"None taken," Korra agreed, "there's only ever one winner of the games, after all. That's what these are, after all—they're just games." She got up and began heading back to her room, where Victor began following her. Korra began undressing, not really caring if her partner was watching.<p>

"but are they though?" he asked her, "career or not, these are still people we're going to be killing."  
>"It's just business," Korra admitted, "and winning means fame and glory. Who wouldn't want themselves a piece of that? The Capitol practically bends to every victor's whim."<p>

"please tell me you've noticed how some of them turn out," Victor warned, "look at Clove… or look at Katsuo and Kaede. They're wrecks."  
>"Look at Leto," Korra countered almost instantly, "or Amy, or Enobaria. They turned out alright."<p>

"Then perhaps what we should be saying is that there's no clear-cut way to tell if you're gonna be sane or broken," Victor warned, "I'm no expert—but Leto is right."  
>"Right about what," Korra tilted her head, "she's right about a lot of things,"<br>"most of the kids that come out of these games alive are much different from how they went in," Victor explained, "for better or for worse."  
>"I've noticed Amy's a lot different," Korra nodded, "she was kind of cute when she first started coming to the training centers—now she acts all grown up."<br>"Maybe that's what the games do to you?" Victor suggested for a moment,

"I guess we'll see." Korra shrugged, now in nothing but her facepaint and undergarments, "we've got all day tomorrow to learn a bit about who we're up against, and maybe get a few hints from some of the Capitol staff about what the arena might be like."

"Heh" Victor chuckled, "then perhaps I should stop staring at your hips and get some sleep, hmm?"  
>"I worked hard to become this fit," Korra smirked, "no point in looking like this if you can't show it off at least once, right?"<br>"I certainly don't mind the view," Victor winked.

"Bah, go to sleep," Korra laughed, "you can take off my clothes another night."  
>"I'll hold you to that," Victor laughed, leaving Korra alone in her room, and heading back to his own room where he changed and crawled into bed fairly soon. Korra was also in bed within minutes, and asleep nearly as quickly.<p>

Korra's dream that night involved her winning the hunger games and returning to the Capitol as a hero. Even they were fawning over her, showering her with the praise and glory that only a victor could earn outside of the Capitol citizenry themselves. Oddly, Victor was absent, but perhaps that was her mind's way of shutting out the fact that her district partner would have to die in order for her to come out of that arena alive.

She got to see footage of herself, where she was shown fending off enemy tributes with her bare hands. Her uniform was similar to Amy's and Ava's, but perhaps her theory that the Capitol had standardized the arena uniforms was true. She would find out in a week.

The last thing she remembered was returning to District 2 and being carried to her new victor's mansion on the backs of throngs of cheering people, proud of their newest champion.

Needless to say, she woke up with a smile on her face. Briefly showering, she discovered a mostly black outfit waiting at the foot of her bed for her—the uniform for the training center.

She emerged from her room grinning, and found Victor making his way to the breakfast table as well, where they were greeted by Delun and with quiet nods even from their stylists. A stylist had to eat too, after all, and while they were slender, they clearly had meat on their bones. Amy was also present, but Clove was nowhere to be seen. Victor asked about it.

"She's still down and out," Amy quipped, "not exactly a morning person, that one."

"Do you have any mentoring tips for us?" Korra asked with a tilt of her head,

"Of course," Amy nodded as she ate, "you're careers—you know what to do. Show off your skills and hold nothing back. Let the others know how dangerous you are, and look out for kids that could become strong allies or deadly enemies—the usual, in fine."

Korra and Victor exchanged looks and then smirked at each other, before quickly shoveling their breakfast down and getting up to head downstairs.

"Last one there's bloodbath fodder!" Victor taunted as Korra raced after him.

"First one there gets shot by '12." Korra retorted as the two tributes disappeared from the apartment to the elevators that would take them downstairs.

"Well…" a voice grunted from one of the hallways. Amy cocked her head towards the sound and saw Clove in her nightclothes again, "someone's got some enthusiastic tributes."

"and here you're acting like that's a bad thing," Amy raised an eyebrow.

"Not necessarily," Clove shrugged, "Cato and I were like that, and one of us became a victor. However, they're clearly oblivious to the things that you me and Delun were talking about last night."

"Well, there's no point in getting them worked up unless one of them survives." Amy pointed out, "let's let them have their fun, and we can talk to them about it if it ever comes up, or if one of them becomes a victor. They'll have to inevitably visit District 12 on their tour either way."  
>"I don't think they're gonna look for allies in '12 though." Clove pointed out, "you certainly didn't."<br>"I don't expect them to," Amy indicated, "but just as Ava respects District 2, I respect District 12, and you of all people should know why."  
>"I do," Clove nodded, "Let me assure you…"<p> 


	7. Chapter 7: The Death Sentence

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** Sorry for the hiatus. Happy Holidays everyone (and that's my excuse). Anyhoo, now we're back, and I've got something special in store today. We start seeing a bit of Korra's more curious side, and get to meet the tributes, from the plucky District 1 pair all the way down to the mysterious District 12 tributes. Happy Reading!

**CHAPTER 7: The Death Sentence**

Victor and Korra were the first tributes down in the training center, which might have gone to say something about their enthusiasm. They looked around like kids in a candy shop, their eyes lit up with all of the state-of-the-art equipment that they were surrounded by.

"Well… this makes the academies look like District 12 or something," Korra chuckled. "everything here is so amazing… I dunno where I want to start!"

"Well, you can even try your hand at… well, hand-to-hand—right over there." Victor motioned towards one of the many combat stations, "The Capitol spares no expenses, you know."

Korra smirked and cracked her knuckles. Activating the mechanism for the hand-to-hand station, Korra donned a pair of fingerless gloves with metal plating on the tops that ended right at the knuckles (with a hinge-like joint at the wrists). She recognized them as standard-issue gloves for the arena uniforms lately, and so figured that it was the Capitol's way of encouraging hand-to-hand fighting and brawling in the event that a tribute was otherwise unarmed. Korra would put them to good use in the arena. In the meantime, she began practicing, using her fists and feet to lay some serious hurt on the attacking holograms, blocking (holographic) weapons with surprising accuracy.

Victor stepped towards the heavier weapons, taking an axe for himself and swinging it with style. So he was the bruiser type then—Korra would have to remember that. She planned on watching everyone the same way that Amy had done the year before. After all, that tiny girl had won the games, and that was Korra's ultimate goal. Honor, glory, fame, and riches were all in the line, and that was a prize Korra had spent her whole life working towards.

Soon they were joined by Cobalt and Vivian from District 1, both of whom soon proved to be the more agile types. The boy was a skilled knife fighter that might have made Clove or Amy smirk in approval, while the girl used longer swords. It did not take long for them to form their usual career alliance after a bit more of watching each other's skills. Thus, the 93rd career pack was born, with Vivian, Korra, Cobalt, and Victor all shaking hands right as Districts 3, 11, and 12 walked in.

"I think that might be record time for fastest career pack ever formed," the District 3 boy quipped. Korra's eyes briefly followed Saki and her partner over to the archery station, before turning back to the rather small District 3 pair.

"Koshu Varada, District 3," the boy extended his hand. He couldn't have been more than 15. His partner introduced herself as Argenta Lao a moment later, and she looked even younger than him.

"Awfully bold of you to come up to the careers like that," Korra quipped,

"I'm not afraid of you," he chuckled, "but I'll use this week to either prove why you should like us, or why you should worry about us…"

The calm, cool way that Koshu had said this did actually strike the career pack as bold, but they were not sure that they wanted him and Argenta on their team just yet. Neither one of them seemed fazed though, and so they went off to work with traps and other building materials, like District 3 so often did.

'11 and '12 were likely going to be valid contenders like they had been now for a while, and once again Korra took a moment to watch Sacajawea. She had looked threatening during the chariot parade, and so the career girl wondered if that was just the District 12 stylists Amadeus and Celine going above and beyond the call of duty, or if this girl had the strength to back her appearance up. However, she was distracted before too long by Victor, who challenged her to a spar. Korra went back to her business and before she knew it, the other tributes had all showed up and were training in the various positions.

One of the odder pairs this year was District 6, which had a younger girl of about 13 paired with a more heavyset young man that was probably 18. Korra recognized him as the young man who had been in the elevator with them after the chariot parade, and as he equipped himself with a mace, it was clear that he was going to be a deadly force. His little partner Alayna used throwing knives, although it was clear that Garrett was the more dangerous of the two—even from a pair of tributes that recognized the abilities of tiny young ladies. The last 2 Hunger Games had both been won by diminutive girls, after all. Maybe there was something in the water, but it seemed that every year produced stronger and more dangerous tributes than the last. Such was Victor's observation anyways, as he glanced from his own strong alliance to some of the other tributes honing their skills. This continued on for an hour or two before a soft but firm voice was heard—Victor knew it did not belong to a tribute.

"Ah, Sacajawea Kwan; just who I wanted to see."

Sacajawea spun around, and her eyes widened. Everyone else in the training room turned their heads as well. In front of the District 12 girl was none other than President Snow himself. Naturally, all of the tributes were rather confused as to what the President of Panem was doing down here, but none of them dared say a word. Even Korra and Victor were frozen with awe.

"What did you need me for, Mr. President?" Saki raised her eyebrows;

"I just need to borrow you for a moment. It will not be long." Snow offered his hand. Warily, Saki took it and followed him out of the training hall.

Snow led Sacajawea to a large set of screens depicting life in the Mining district. They depicted the citizens at their day-to-day lives, unsuspecting of anyone watching them.

"Have a seat if you wish," Snow offered as he sat down, taking a white rose from a nearby vase and replacing the one on his suit with the new one, "Tell me, girl—what do you see there?"

"That looks like District 12." Saki shrugged, "is it?"

"It is District 12," Snow nodded, "A fine component of our fine nation. However, it has come to my attention that it and the locals have become rather… rebellious. Is this true?"  
>"I'm not sure." Saki shrugged, "I do not know every—"<p>

Snow did not answer, and instead flipped a remote that showed Sacajawea speaking to several other citizens, clearly pumping them up for some kind of small-scale rebellion.

"I would appreciate it if you would not try and lie to me, young lady." Snow insisted, "If your little rebellion was successfully carried out, it would only lead to ruin. You are here for a reason."  
>"You rigged my reaping," Saki exclaimed, although she kept her voice a monotone.<p>

"You are here for a very specific purpose." Snow reaffirmed, "However, I am a man who practices what he preaches, and so I will not lie to you. You are not going to return from that arena."

"And what happens if I outsmart the other tributes?"  
>"Then you will return home," Snow replied without skipping a beat, "But do you see them? Do you see all of those people?" He motioned back towards the screens, where one of them depicted Sacajawea's siblings and parents.<p>

"You will kill them, won't you?" the teen narrowed her eyes.

"Your family; your friends; your district—all reduced to ruin. Is that what you wish for?"  
>"No," Sacajawea sighed, "No it is not."<p>

"Let it not be said that I am not merciful, however." Snow continued, "Your partner, Mr. Pescado, has not been involved, has he?" the question seemed more rhetorical that interrogative.  
>"I have not seen him," Saki insisted, and was being honest this time. Snow seemed to realize this, and so did not try to coerce the girl further.<p>

"If you wish, you can try to bring him home." Snow offered, "but you, young lady, end your journey here—the 93rd Hunger Games arena is where you and your dangerous ideas will be put to rest."

Naturally, being told when one was going to die was not exactly an easy pill to swallow. Sacajawea remained stoic and silent.

"Do you understand the severity of this request, Ms. Kwan?" Snow repeated.

"Would you rather me step off the platform before the countdown finishes?" Saki offered.

"If you wish for that to be the same fate as your sisters, then by all means, please do." Snow replied.

"You're tying my hands really tight now, aren't you? Next you're going to specifically tell me to place 4th between the girl from 7 and the boy from 2, aren't you?"  
>"Do not be silly, child—but if anyone outside catches on that you are aware of your odds, there will be trouble. Convince me otherwise."<p>

"What are my odds then," Saki raised her eyebrows, "zero?"

"You are an observant one indeed," Snow nodded, "you are dismissed."

She returned to the training center, looking somewhat shaken, but still managed to keep herself composed. She simply shook some hair out of her face and returned to the archery station, shooting bulls-eyes with rather impressive skill. No one, not even her partner Jeremy, dared ask what had been said, and they all left her be—except for a girl from District 2…


	8. Chapter 8: A Mysterious Ally

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _There are similarities between the Korra/Saki meeting and the Chel/Ava meeting from the 91st Hunger Games, but I assure you that the two sets of tributes are very different. Also, no they are not romantically attracted to each other or anything like that-just friends... or at least, Korra is suddenly really close friends with Saki. Their relationship is difficult to figure out at the moment. Either way... Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 8: A Mysterious Ally**

It was Korra Francisco who approached that District 12 girl. Korra noted the determination on that girl's face, coupled with her skills. Oddly, and perhaps ironically, she began taking interest in this mysterious tribute. She had promising potential in the career pack in the District 2 girl's eyes, and so she did to Saki what another District 2 girl had done to a District 12 girl two years ago: she approached Sacajawea.

"What did the president want?" Korra tilted her head, her wild auburn strands falling to one side.

"A bit too much," Saki admitted, "what do you need, '2?"

"Hey, hey, don't take that 'tude with me," Korra raised her hands in the air, "I just wanted to see what's up—and wanted to say that you've got some pretty rocking skillz with that bow—skillz with a Z."

"Did you really just say skillz with a Z?" Saki raised an eyebrow.

"Damn straight I did." Korra laughed, "anyways, I was wondering who you were allied with in the games. You probably know where this is going."

"Do you want your entire pack to die?" Saki warned;

"Whoa, whoa," Korra shook her head, "Hey… here I was trying to be friendly. I thought being an asshole was District 2's job."

Saki sighed, looking over Korra's expression. She appeared almost naïve to the veteran District 12 girl, which was ironic because in her Saki could also see courage and great strength. She was a warrior without a purpose.

"Meet me on the roof tonight at 9," Saki indicated, "I'll explain it there. If you don't show, I'll assume you're not interested."

Korra simply nodded before returning to meet back up with her comrades, who unsurprisingly asked how the talk with Saki had gone.

"She's still mulling it over," Korra explained, "let's get back to work."

The careers worked on their skills until around lunchtime, where all 24 of the tributes shuffled into the cafeteria with trays full of food. Some tributes from the outer districts had not eaten this much food in their entire lives and so were loading their plates to enjoy the Capitol's bounty while they still drew breath. Others used this as an opportunity to converse with other tributes and potentially make friends or allies. Few victors ever won their games solo. Notable exceptions were Katniss Everdeen during the 75th Hunger Games, and Leto Irizari during the 35th Hunger Games (both of which stood out among a few others who had performed this feat, due to their exceptionally high kill counts).

Korra glanced around to see who was talking with whom. Jeremy from District 12 and the District 11 pair—Sheaf and Laura—were talking together, while Sacajawea sat nearby, but seemed a little detached. She watched that girl for a while with interest, noting that her expressions seemed suddenly less confident than they had been when she had walked in. Was she afraid of the other tributes, or was there something far larger on her mind? What had President Snow wanted with her? she was eager for tonight where she would find out. She had to find a way to shake off Victor though—she'd tell him what was up if she felt like he could keep a secret, but she didn't exactly think that Saki wanted her secret getting out to everyone. On the other hand, part of her was wondering what Snow could have done to her to make her behave that way. Snow was a benevolent man who kept Panem alive—running the country from the Capitol—the great beating heart of this magnificent country. That was what she and the others from District 2 had always been told anyways, and with the prosperity of their mighty district, Korra had never really had a reason to doubt it.

"So…" Vivian snapped Korra out of her thoughts, "what's up, '2? You seem out of it…"  
>"Just thinking about things," Korra admitted, "I think I was up a bit too late yesterday in a fit of excitement about hitting the training center." This was partially true, although that was not the main reason Korra's thoughts were wandering. Who *was* Sacajawea Kwan, and why had President Snow sought her out to talk to her personally? That almost never happened to tributes—victors, sure, but the 24 tributes that paid a visit to the Capitol every year almost never got any one-on-one time with Coriolanus Snow. Besides, she was always taught that the Capitol was a gracious benefactor to the districts, and the lifestyle in Districts 1 and 2 reflected this.<p>

Before Korra knew it though, night had fallen, and Victor seemed ready for bed. Korra wouldn't have minded the extra sleep as well, but she wanted to take a little walk, for a very specific reason that Victor either didn't suspect, or simply did not care about.

Tributes were given free-reign of the Tribute Tower, since all of the restricted doors and floors were marked with fingerprint scanners, which were obviously programmed to allow access to Capitol officials (and even mentors for certain rooms) that tributes were obviously not allowed to see. The rooftop was not one of these, however, and so all tributes were allowed to see the grandeur of the Capitol city form the roof of their tallest and most magnificent building.

Korra found Sacajawea atop the roof, gazing out upon this glimmering metropolis.

"Didn't think you'd actually show," the swarthy girl raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not exactly afraid of confrontations," Korra admitted, "so what's up? you're not trying to make this another Chel and Ava thing, are you?"

"Not necessarily," Saki shrugged, "but if you wanna be friends, I'm not about to say no."  
>"Well, you *did* threaten me and my career buddies," Korra reminded her, "and I want to know what that's about before I do anything with you."<p>

"In fine,. Snow told me that the Gamemakers want me dead. I do not feel safe divulging all the details here, but I know that I will be targeted by the Gamemakers like crazy. Thus, if you recruited me, you'd have to deal with that too."

"That just sounds like a challenge," Korra chuckled, "winning the Hunger Games on Hard Mode while also gaining a kickass ally? I think that's pretty cool."  
>"It's…" Saki began, "it's complicated. But it won't be easy."<br>"Last time I checked, chica," Korra put a hand on Saki's shoulder, "these were the Hunger Games. Even if two of us become best friends, one of us still has to kill the other. It ain't ever pretty."

Despite this, Korra still noticed that Saki looked upset about something. Maybe it was just her own excitement of the games (being a volunteer and all), or maybe it was something else, but Korra wanted to help change the District 12 girl's mood a bit for the better. Little did she realize that this was part of their mentors' plans.

The next morning, Korra explained to the others the idea of letting Sacajawea join their ranks.

"Is she good?" Vivian raised an eyebrow.

"You tell me," Korra retorted, pointing to where Saki was shooting arrows. Her first one hit the bullseye, and her 2nd one hit the first one so hard that it split and splintered. Korra was glad that she had gotten their attention right as Saki had done something impressive.

"Well I'll go talk to her then," Victor indicated, and with that he strode confidently over towards the archer girl, getting her attention. A few seconds later, there was nodding and the two tributes returned to the group.

"Guys," Victor announced proudly, almost as if this whole thing had been his idea, "say hello to Sacajawea Kwan." The dark-skinned girl waved gingerly, but was greeted warmly, shaking hands with Cobalt and Vivian, and getting a playful bear-hug from Korra, who nearly squeezed the life out of the much more slender girl. She grunted and called her out on this.

"Korra… you're… crushing me…"

"sorry 'bout that," she chuckled, setting Sacajawea on her feet, "I guess I just got a little excited was all."  
>"Does someone have a girlfriend?" Vivian teased, making both Korra and Saki go so red that they froze for a second.<p>

"NO!" they chanted simultaneously. Korra had it worse off because her lighter skin showed more of the fierce blush she was making. "Can two girls not just be friends?" Korra continued, "You know… especially two that are going into the Hunger Games together?"

"Relax, '2," Vivian laughed, "I was only joking. "I didn't mean to offend you, but MAN you got defensive when I said that. Anyways, let's not worry about that, and worry more about impressing these other tributes with our mad skills."

"That's 'mad skillz' with a Z, Vivian," Korra corrected. Even Saki laughed at that one.

And thus training continued as the day wore on. A few times, Saki and Jeremy's eyes met, and they exchanged glances, but the careers were still too absorbed in their weapons and fighting to worry much about her. She had proven her skills with ranged weaponry, and earned her place in the career pack, and so they figured that they had garnered a valuable ally for the games.


	9. Chapter 9: Playing the Odds

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: _A slight delay, I know. I really need to get back on track with this. Perhaps as school starts up for most people I will. Whatever the case, here in our 9th installment we get to see a bit of Aveline as she and her tributes discuss poor Sacajawea's impossible odds, and a bit of District 2's shenanigans between Korra and Victor. _  
><em>Happy Reading!<em>

**CHAPTER 9: Playing the Odds**

Shortly after training had ended for the night, Saki bade the other careers a fond farewell and met back up with Jeremy on their way up to the 12th floor.

"So is that the end of our alliance then?" he asked her, "It's not like I didn't notice."  
>"No, it's not that," Sacajawea began,<p>

"I don't think they're going to recruit me, Sheaf, or Laura, Saki." He warned.

"I don't either," Saki acknowledged, "but hear me out. So… you know that my odds are zero, right?"  
>"They are?" he paused, "no, I didn't… how did—was this what Snow talked to you about?"<br>"She sighed. "To cut a long story short, yes it was. Long story short, he told me if I won, that '12 would be leveled."  
>"What the hell?!" Jeremy looked skeptical, "how can he do that?"<br>"You know the whispers of rebellion?" Saki piped up, "well, I'm one of the leaders of it. Snow rigged my reaping for the purpose of getting rid of me."  
>"So why are you siding with the careers?" He tilted his head,<p>

"Well, think of it this way:" she began, "if the Gamemakers decide to rain fire down upon me… I'll be with them instead of you guys, which in turn means they'll get caught in the Gamemakers' crossfire, not you all. Secondly, if I am with the career pack, I can help keep them away from you and '11 until much later, or I am killed. Obviously I still want a District 12 victor even if I know it can't be me. So, you're obviously candidate #1 here, Jeremy."

"What if they see through your trick?" Jeremy pointed out as they sat down.

"Then they kill me instead of the Capitol," Sacajawea shrugged, "either way, I'm going to die. Just make sure that you and '11 are able to run or fight—your pick."

A moment later, little Aveline walked into the room. Even at 17 years old, she had hardly grown an inch since her victory in the 91st Hunger Games.

"You know of my plight, don't you?" Saki turned to her mentor,

"I do," Ava nodded, "I figured that something like that was up, but you only verified it for me."  
>"I'm not going to hold back," she insisted, "If I'm going to die, I'm going to go out in a blaze of glory."<br>"Just don't do anything that could compromise us in District 12," Ava warned, "I'm sure if they wanted to, the Capitol could spare the victors and then bomb everyone else, so it's not even me that I'm worried about here."

"I won't," Saki agreed, "but you should know by now, Ava—just how clever District 12 really is."

"How else do you think I won my games," Ava smirked, "well, Chel helped a lot, but perhaps if you really are contemplating an alliance with the careers, Saki, maybe one of them can help you. It's a tough risk though; Last year the career tributes were our biggest threat, even if I liked them more than Monica."  
>"Monica was off her rocker though," Saki admitted, "even her sister Moneta agreed."<br>"So I've heard," Ava nodded, "but my point is just to be careful."  
>"Well, that Korra girl from District 2 seems to really like me," Sacajawea chuckled, "she might even have a crush on me."<br>"I… don't exactly know what to say to that," Ava shrugged, "but obviously don't get too attached to her. On the other hand, try to learn more about the tributes you talk to, and especially about that District 2 girl then. Learn what she likes and what she wants from the 'games. Most of us just want to survive, but career kids sometimes have other views. Amy, the victor from last year, wanted to send some kind of massage I think?" She thought back to the tiny victor of the 92nd Annual Hunger Games and her interview, but figured she'd have to ask Amy Zavala herself.

"Got it," Saki nodded. "we've still got 4 more days of training before the private sessions, and that's where I think we'll be able to leave the biggest mark."

Those four days did pass fairly quickly though, and before the other tributes knew it, it was time for the private sessions. For some, such as Districts 1, 2, and 5, which were famous for producing lots of victors, these were exciting times to prove to the others that they were formidable opponents. Others such as Districts 12 and 11 usually worked to prove that they were not a force to be counted out just yet. Some of the less victor-heavy districts were a bit more worried, since they figured they would score low, but there was usually a surprise or two every year.

"Want to place a bet," Victor offered, turning to Korra.

"I'd love to," Korra quipped, "with all the money that tributes don't have."

"Clearly someone has never heard of a Gentleman's bet." Victor countered, "Just a little fun contest before we show the Capitol who rocks."

Already, the tributes were lining up behind them (except Cobalt and Vivian, who were ahead of them) as they waited their turn to show their skills to the Gamemakers.

"Alright, what's the wager?" Korra's interest piqued.

"Whoever scores higher wins," Victor explained, "if we both score 12s… we tie, or something like that."  
>"Well, you better hope to get a 12 then," Korra smirked, "because that's the cloest you'll get to tying with me. I'm gonna do so well that they'll give me a 13."<p>

"Still out of 12," Victor raised an eyebrow.

"You bet," Korra laughed. "I'm here to make history as the most awesome tribute to ever come out of the games! One of the kids in this building is coming back home, and so I've gotta do what I can.

"Yup," Victor quipped, "one of us in this line is a victor in the making… and that's not counting my name puns—otherwise there's two."

"Good one," Korra elbowed him, "but anyway, you've got yourself a bet. We'll find out the results tonight obviously, and so may the odds be ever in your favor…"

Soon Cobalt Efran was called into the training room to demonstrate his skills. 15 minutes later, Vivian Nelson was called in, and another 15 minutes after that, Victor's name was called.

He stepped inside and saw the Gamemakers glancing down at him, with Head Gamemaker Zurok standing in the middle, her trademark large wings and pointed ears making her stand out. Even the Capitol's most loyal district didn't understand the extent of Capitol fashion.

Her voice though, was much more soothing than Victor expected, and it had a motherly tone to it.

"Welcome to the 93rd Annual Hunger Games, Victor Caruso," she cooed, "you have 15 minutes to present your chosen skill. Begin!"

Victor took a large battleaxe in his hands much like Chel Colorado and Marcus Romero from 2 and 1 years ago respectively. His mind briefly raced back to the Justice Building Stage, where statues of those aforementioned tributes stood as a heroic reminder of what made a Hero in District 2. Victor found it particularly funny, since neither of them had won their Hunger Games—but their selflessness, courage, cunning, and strength had gotten them far.

Victor planned to win it though, even if he didn't get a "Hero Statue".

He might not have been as large as some of the earlier career tributes, but he had a powerful swinging arm, which he demonstrated skillfully against the holographic assailants that he set to come after him. His defensive skills and counterattacks worked effectively to dispatch his opponents.  
>Victor's favorite weapon was an axe, but he also demonstrated skills with swords and clubs as well, to demonstrate versatility alongside his strength. Soon he gave a bow, and was dismissed.<p>

"_Korra Francisco!"_

Korra eagerly hopped up from her seat as her name was called, high-fiving Victor on his way out as she went in. she was greeted by the same Gamemakers, who told her the same thing they told Victor.

"Welcome to the 93rd Annual Hunger Games, Korra Francisco," Zurok smiled, "you have 15 minutes to present your chosen skill. Begin!"

Korra started out by donning some metallic gloves and then grabbed a sword. Seconds later she began hacking away at various targets with vigor. She demonstrated strength and agility with these tricks, before throwing her sword through a holographic dummy and reverting to her fists. The holograms were only programmed to dissipate when they were hit to the point of killing. It took KOrra a good few strikes, but eventually she made a few of them break apart. Had that been the actual Hunger Games, she would have been able to theoretically kill a tribute with her bare hands. after 15 minutes passed, she was dismissed, wearing a satisfied smirk on her face. As Koshu Varada from District 3 was called in, Korra headed for the elevator to meet back up with Victor—they had a good number of things to discuss in the downtime between now and the revealing of the scores…


	10. Chapter 10: The Scores

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _And here's the moment we've been waiting for-the scours for our tributes! Victor and Korra get to learn who (if anyone) won their bet, and we get a little more intel on what happened during the infamous 77th Hunger Games, which is the only time a 12-year-old ever came out of there alive. Otherwise, just a bit more scene-setting and other fancy things. Happy Reading!_

**CHAPTER 10: The Scores**

"So now it's just a matter of waiting to see our scores," Korra indicated as they got back to the 2nd floor.

"Even then though," Amy warned, "scores do not always dictate the odds of winning. Remember Aveline form the year before mine? She scored a 5."

"True, but clearly she was holding back somehow," Victor noted, "that girl was a fighter."  
>"Ikki Ortolani didn't hold back 16 years ago," Amy warned, "and she scored a 4—and won her games."<br>"I hear a lot about her," Korra tilted her head, "how do you know about her though either? I was a baby when she won, and you weren't even born yet, Amy."  
>"It's called doing research," Amy chuckled, "but she is also significant because not only was she the youngest victor to ever win the games, but she is also the only kid under 14 to ever do so."<br>"You're one of the youngest victors too though, right?" Victor reminded her,  
>"Me, Leto, and then two boys, yes." Amy indicated, "Finnick Odair from District 4, and Alice DeSiete from District 8. We're the only 14-year-olds to win. No 13-year-olds have ever won the games, and a 12-year-old has won once—that was Ikki."<p>

"Were the careers idiots that year or something?" Korra tilted her head, "how the hell do you get outsmarted by a 12-year-old?"

"Three of them scored perfectly, actually," Amy quipped, "and the other three scored 11s. See—Ikki is an example of how kids can be dangerous. She came from a family of electricians, and knew a few things going into the arena. She spent most of her time rigging up almost the entire place, and so when the careers finally decided to turn on her at the end, she simply activated her electric traps, frying them all in such a drastic way that I'm sure Beetee was proud."  
>"What's your point with that story?" Korra asked, raising an eyebrow, "I don't think Koshu or his partner are electricians, or even 12-year-olds."<p>

"My point is that until a cannon goes off and their face appears in the sky, every tribute, no matter how big or small or old or young—is a threat. Do not ever stop believing that for an instant."

"That… is a fairly valid point," Victor nodded, "Glad to know you're on our side, Amy."  
>"But of course," Amy chuckled. "Now let's kick back and see what those scores are…"<br>A few hours later after Sacajawea and Jeremy from District 12 finished their private sessions, Delun came in, flipping on the television. "Training Scores are coming up!" he beamed, "and don't go too far afterwards—Misaha and Zakuya should be ready with your interview outfits soon!"

Naturally, Korra and Victor bounded for the sofa, jumping over the back and into the seats as they watched the anthem play before scores, faces, and odds began to show.

"_Cobalt Efran; District 1, with a score of… 9"  
><em>"Ready to lose that bet?" Korra elbowed her partner playfully.

"_Vivian Nelson; District 1, with a score of… 10"  
><em>"Pfft, I've got this in the bag," Victor chuckled, "and to victor go the spoils!"

_"Victor Caruso; District 2, with a score of… 12"  
><em>"Welp, there it is!" Victor continued, "Beat that, Korra."

_Korra Francisco; District 2, with a score of… 11"  
><em>"Son of a bitch," Korra swore. "welp, you won. Fine." She crossed her arms, pouting.

"_Koshu Varada; District 3, with a score of… 9"  
><em>"Oh, relax…" Victor ruffled Korra's hair, "it was just a bet. You have nice hair, by the way."

_"Argenta Lao; District 3, with a score of… 8"  
><em>"Was that your best attempt at flirting, Victor?"

"_Zack Plumas; District 4, with a score of… 6"  
><em>"It worked, didn't it? I also never noticed your freckles either. Those are cute."

_"Tiffany Chung; District 4, with a score of… 7"  
><em>"Stop with this cute thing." Korra pushed at him.

"_Darian Croft; District 5, with a score of… 8"  
><em>"Well… you two are certainly no Marcus and Amy," Clove quipped as she stepped in.

"_Anna Rosario; District 5, with a score of… 9"  
><em>"Well of course they aren't" Amy quipped, "no one can be as awesome as Marcus was."

"_Garrett Locke; District 6, with a score of… 11"  
><em>"I'm biased of course though," Amy added, "also—that kid's gonna be trouble. Watch out for him."

"_Alayna Marth; District 6, with a score of… 5"  
><em>"His partner won't be though," Korra quipped, but slowly the conversation grew quiet as everyone watched and analyzed the tributes, their odds, and their scores.

"_Carlos Zianja; District 7, with a score of… 7"  
><em>It seemed almost fitting for a District 7 kid, although Korra also recalled that they used to be a much more potent force than they were recently. Then again, the same thing could be said about District 4.

"_Joan DeLaRosa; District 7, with a score of… 7"  
><em>Korra might not have known as much as Amy or Clove, but even she knew that some years, a district would produce powerful tributes, and other years they'd have mere fodder.

"_Zhao Takoda; District 8, with a score of… 8"  
><em>There were some exceptions, at least as of late though. Districts 1 and 2, for example, almost never produced bloodbath fodder, and those that did die in such a way were almost never forgotten.

"_Suzanne Weaver; District 8, with a score of… 6"  
><em>District 11 had also not had a bloodbath tribute in years though—and had a pretty respectable victor's pool to boot.

"_William Parks; District 9, with a score of… 5"  
><em>District 5 was an odd case—they often produced an occasional bloodbath tribute, but they had more victors than all but the two career districts.

"_Melinda Franz; District 9, with a score of… 4"  
><em>District 12 was a trickier case, in Korra's mind. On one hand, they were clearly a rising star, but on the other, there were still bloodbath fodder tributes, such as Ava's brother from the 91st Hunger Games, and several others in recent years before that.

"_Edmund Clarke; District 10, with a score of… 4"  
><em>Other districts, like 10 and 9, were usually fodder year after year. Korra and Victor both felt that this one would be no different. Then again, Amy's words rang through her head once again. Maybe she shouldn't be underestimating of even the most fodder-like of tributes.

"_Himoto Takeshi; District 10, with a score of… 6"  
><em>"I remember last year Marcus and I made a bet about who would die first," Amy piped up, "although it ended up happening only because he got in my way before anyone else."

"_Sheaf Twallan; District 11, with a score of… 10"  
><em>"Betting's just something we do around here," Clove quipped, "but be careful—we're getting into the dangerous territory once again."

"_Laura Talahasi; District 11, with a score of… 10"  
><em>"Definitely solid threats," Amy indicated, "Be careful of them."

"_Jeremy Pescado; District 12, with a score of… 9"  
><em>"Seems those three have a pretty solid alliance then," Korra piped up, "we definitely should—"

"_Sacajawea Kwan; District 12, with a score of… 12"  
><em>"Wow; Seems we made a good choice in recruiting her," the girl's jaw dropped a little.  
>"Nothing that another perfect-scorer can't handle," Victor joked. "y'know—when the time comes."<p>

Korra's mind was deep in thought, however, as the others got up around her. Saki had scored perfectly, and she had scored an 11. The kids from District 11 had scored even higher than Dante and Cherry, the kids from last year—and that devious pair had gone down in history as a nefarious set of tributes that had been able to command some of the arena mutts.

Victor had outscored her, but she wasn't worried about him until the endgame. The other threat was going to be that large District 6 boy.

Her mind was briefly taken off of that, however, when Delun reappeared with the white-haired stylist pair in tow.

"I think we all know what time it is." He grinned.

Korra and Victor might not have been the most fashionistic tributes to grace these halls, but it was a nice departure from knowing that in less than 24 hours, a good handful of this building's occupants would be dead. Besides, in most cases the Capitol spared the tributes from their outrageous fashion and instead put them into things that were flashy but attractive. District 8, despite its notorious disdain for the Capitol, actually did particularly enjoy their stylists.

Korra was slightly irked that Misaha would not speak to her at all, but as she and Victor parted ways, she truest that Amy knew what she was talking about when she said that they were the best of the best.

Misaha began by pointing at Korra's clothes, before moving her finger downward, indicating for the younger girl to strip down. With a shrug, Korra did so, revealing a very athletically toned body structure. Nodding approvingly, she instructed Korra to step into a nearby chemical bath much like the ones they had experienced on the trains.

After Korra was cleaned and dried, it was time for her to get dressed and styled. Instead of saying anything, the stylist simply put her fingers on Korra's eyes to close them.

"You want me to close my eyes?" the tribute opened her eyes to see Misaha's answer. She nodded.

Korra closed her eyes and waited. She could feel lotion and makeup being applied to her skin, and the woman even went as far as to dress Korra herself. Korra sat down and stood back up multiple times, but while she couldn't say that this was not slightly awkward, she trusted in the results.

Her trusts were not misguided. When she was finally instructed to open her eyes (the stylist had very gentle fingers that pressed to Korra's eyelids), she actually gasped. Korra was looking at a mirror image of a light-skinned girl with a striking red and orange dress that almost clashed with her auburn hair. She took a few steps, hearing the click of her glittery heels that could be seen beneath the skirts of her dress. There were bangles on her otherwise bare arms, and the dress had a low neck and back to show off Korra's near-chiseled muscular structure.

"It's beautiful!" Korra exclaimed, "I… thank you."

Misaha simply smiled, giving something of a bow to show her acknowledgement, before Korra left the studio to meet up with Victor.


	11. Chapter 11: A Web of Intrigue, Part 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ Apologies for the long hiatus. Luckily I did manage to get several other chapters and works up in the meantime, but resut assured the 93rd Annual Hunger Games will still go on. Korra gets to talk to Caesar, gets to learn a bit more about some of the other tributes, and fun times abound all around._  
><em>Happy Reading!<em>

**CHAPTER 11: A Web of Intrigue, Part 1**

Victor was dressed in a suit of slightly darker red than Korra's dress, but it was still enough to strike people as a matching set—a contrast to Amy and Marcus from the previous year (despite that those two had gotten along better).

"Well, don't you look great," he quipped, running a hand through his hair, which Zakuya had apparently decided would look better combed back in a quaint sort of way.

"You don't look half bad yourself," Korra chuckled, "you ready to wow Caesar and the Capitol tonight?"

"You best believe I am," Victor smirked, "I've got to remind people that Victor the victor is here to stay!"

Korra chuckled, but couldn't argue with that kind of confidence. She knew that he obviously wanted to survive just as much as she did, and so she would worry about fighting him when it was time to break up the career pack. In the meantime, she followed Victor over to where the other tributes were starting to line up, where she noticed that she wasn't alone in staring at some of the other designs. Vivian's white dress was an interesting contrast against her dark skin, and the skirts had a semi-translucency to them which caused Victor and Cobalt to glance a bit in her direction.

The girl took it in stride, bumping her hips to make her skirts flow and her jewelry jingle, but otherwise was quiet as she got into line—she would be first after all.

Korra glanced down at the bangles on her wrists, playing with them idly as she watched some of the others. District 5 was always fun to watch, since their stylists seemed to take a similar angle year after year. However, instead of being like the infamous District 7 stylists that had dressed their tributes up like trees for the chariot parade for decades (they had been replaced about 15 years prior), people actually liked what District 5 did with its tribute costumes and outfits.

Sure enough, as Korra glanced past Districts 3 and 4, she saw a black-clad pair of kids with colorful LED lights adorning the boy's suit and the girl's dress. They flashed in various patterns at a fairly slow rate, but at one point, the whole outfit lit up. No wonder the whole outfit was so shiny.

Korra couldn't help but look back at the end of the line to see what '12 and '11 were dressed in, and found that she was not disappointed. District 11's clothing was a bright white that contrasted nicely with their dark skin, while District 12's were a bit more intriguing, going for the opposite effect and all—black. Korra liked the masks they wore—it gave Saki and Jeremy a nice sense of enigma to them.

However, her thoughts were diverted to the stage again when she heard Vivian Nelson's name get called. A few pairs of eyes (many of them boys) watched her sway her hips as she disappeared and sat down next to Caesar Flickerman to begin her interview. While she was clearly good-spirited, she didn't quite have the ditzy airheaded vibe to her that many of the others from her district did. Korra would have to remember that—she had also scored higher than her partner.

Speaking of Vivian's partner… before Korra realized it, Cobalt Efran was being called to the stage. He was a bit more airheaded like the District 1 that Korra remembered, but on the other hand, while District 1 seemed ditzy at times, it was hard to argue with their results—namely, their victor's pool.

But soon, Korra's time came, and she strode out onto the stage, her skirts flowing. Even if she had not scored perfectly, she was very well received.

"Ahh, and here's a fiery one!" Caesar laughed, inviting Korra to sit down in the seat next to him where tributes always sat. "And look at that outfit… Misaha and Zakura certainly know what your best assets are, don't they, Korra?" He was clearly talking about Korra's arms and her large hands, for she had given the Gamemakers quite a display of strength during her private training session.  
>"They're incredible!" Korra agreed, "I wish they'd talk so I could say something to them about it!"<br>"Ah, they're tricky ones!" Caesar waved his finger, "not even I can get a word out of 'em! Ho-ho!" he threw his head back as he usually did when he laughed this way, and the audience joined him. Her interview continued with typical questions about the Capitol and how she felt about her games. One of the last questions was about her training score, and how it was not quite perfect. Somehow they had known that Korra had been aiming for something like that.

"It's just a number at the end of the day," she shrugged, "a kid a couple years ago won with a 5… I'll win with an 11 just as easily as I would with a 12!"  
>"Passion! I like that!" Caesar exclaimed, "But… now here's a rather unique question for you, and you alone. Last year, victor Amy Zavala said she was going to send us a message—and that part of that message was that she was going to bring home another victor from District 2 this year. What do you think of that?"<br>"I dunno what her message is," Korra shrugged, "but I'm all for anything that'll put me back on this stage in a couple weeks as a victor, you know?" she raised her fist, where the bangles jingled as they slid up her arm (before sliding back to her wrists as she lowered it again).

"That's the spirit!" Caesar shouted with vigor, let's hear it, ladies and gentlemen… for Korra Francisco… District 2!"

A few moments later Victor and Korra had swapped places, and he was received just as well as she was, considering that he was one of two perfect-scoring tributes. Korra decided to linger around to hear the other interviews, particularly Sacajawea's, and maybe that large District 6 boy. Victor was no Marcus, but he managed to crack the crowds up with his "Victor" puns. He briefly mentioned Amy's message of bringing home a victor this year, and said he'd be just as happy to take Korra's place.

"We pretty much stole the show…" he suggested after he left Caesar's stage and Argenta Lao stepped up. she, like many from District 3, was cool and witty, and his partner Koshu proved to be the same way. Caesar continued going down the list, giving each tribute roughly the same amount of time, even if he knew that many of them were making false promises about returning home as victors. Not that he would ever tell them that the odds were certainly not in their favors, but he knew as well as anyone who the odds were leaning mostly towards—and so most of the money was going towards Districts 2, 1, 12, and 11 again this year, it seemed.

Soon the exotic, LED-clad District 5 pair had finished and little Alayna from '6 was skipping up to the stage. She seemed like a sweet little thing, talking about how her friend Garrett would protect her. That brought a rather interesting dynamic to Korra's mind—had the two known each other before the games, or had Alayna's reaping been why Garrett had volunteered?

She found out the answer a moment later. Alayna skipped past Korra, stopping to wave at the slightly larger girl, a grin on her face.

"Uh… hi?" Korra waved back, but not before noticing the girl's eyes were fairly pink.

Garrett spoke of how he did in fact volunteer to help protect Alayna, and that he would gladly sacrifice himself to ensure that she was able to come home. Korra couldn't help but admire that, although she would still not hesitate to kill Alayna if needs be. To her, the games were simply business—risky, exciting business that involved fame and glory for the winners, and death for the losers. She wanted to not fall into the latter of these two groups. Korra was a bit surprised when laughter erupted from the audience, as Garrett made a joke about 'really wanting some Substance 21 right now'. She had heard of it, and was fairly certain it was a drug, but was not positive.

Either way, when Garrett's interview concluded, he too briefly made eye contact with Korra.

"Did you see Alayna go by?" he asked. Like her, his eyes were slightly pinkish. Was this a result of that "Substance 21" the boy had spoken of during his interview?

"She went that way," Korra shrugged, pointing her thumb in the direction the small girl had skipped off in. Garrett nodded, shrugged a brief "thanks" before lumbering off after her.

As Districts 7 and 8 took the stage, they said a few colorful things, and Korra was fairly certain that Zhao and Suzanne had subtly tried to weave anti-Capitol sentiment into their remarks, but if they did, Caesar either ignored it, or was oblivious to it—or perhaps there had been no underhanded insults at all.

Soon, District 11 was up, and Korra started paying attention again—these interviews would be good.


	12. Chapter 12: A Web of Intrigue, Part 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _And it seems that I've gotten back into the groove of things, at least for a while. Thus, we finally reach the end of part I, and the games begin in the next chapter. We get to see Sacajawea's interview, and Korra starts growing suspicious of something she thinks her mentors are hiding. In fine... lots of intrigue._  
><em>Happy Reading!<em>

**CHAPTER 12: A Web of Intrigue, Part 2**

Every now and again, a tribute would get reminded of their predecessor by Caesar's antics. District 11 was similar. As Laura Talahasi was called to the stage, she was asked about Cherry Valdez, and whether or not she had known the girl.

"I did, actually," Laura grunted—she was a girl of few words, and her low voice served as further reminder of this. However, her high training score and muscular appearance were clear signs that she was no pushover, and that she would have plenty of people cheering for her. "Cherry and Dante were some clever fellows… almost a bit too clever."  
>"Do you think you will be able to match up?" Caesar leaned in closer, slowly building suspense.<p>

"Maybe," Laura shrugged, "Cherry was not me, and I'm not Cherry. But if there are any more of those Night Witches in this arena, you can bet that we'll be working to keep them from killing us!"

"A bold statement," Caesar nodded approvingly, "I personally think those things are rather frightening. I think our Gamemakers will mix things up a bit more than that this time though!"  
>"I'm crossing my fingers." Laura quipped playfully. The rest of her interview was fairly simple in nature, but it still elicited cheers once she left the stage and Sheaf Twallan, her partner, was called up.<p>

His interview was fairly similar, and he mentioned Dante.

"Almost everyone in '11 knew Dante and Cherry," he explained, "although funny enough, this is my first time meeting Laura. I'm fairly certain that we'll keep a solid alliance—just like Rye and Sagittaria."  
>"Oh my!" Caesar exclaimed, "Rye and Sagittaria… 44th Hunger Games, yes! That takes me WAY back! District 11, District 11, who gives us fruits, gives us strength!"<p>

This drew cheers from the crowds, who chanted the old slogan. This made Korra even more curious. The Capitol seemed fond of District 11, but District 11 did not seem to return the favor if Peacekeeper reports about life in that district were anything to go by.

Soon though, the moment Korra had been waiting for occurred. Sacajawea was called to the stage.

"You know," Victor piped up, "some kids have actually been dismissed early for saying stuff the Capitol thought was rebellious. Think Saki's gonna blow it?"  
>"She might," Korra chuckled, "but I'm willing to bet that she won't if you're willing to bet she will."<br>"Alright then; you're on!" Victor chuckled, shaking Korra's hand. The two tributes remained quiet as they listened to her interview.

"I would have volunteered anyways," she shrugged, when asked about her reaping, "I was just disappointed that my name got called—it kind of killed the moment, you know?"

"Ah… it seems we can't always be in the spotlight then, right?" Caesar appeared to sympathize.

"I'm fairly sure that '12 has been in the spotlight for quite some time now," Saki quipped, "I think the Capitol is watching us REALLY closely."  
>"Oh?" Caesar almost seemed to hope that Saki would say something controversial, "and why's that?"<p>

"Well… look at it this way," Saki explained, "it took us 50 years to get two victors, which was all we had for 74 years. Now, in the last 18 years, we've gotten three new victors. Monica Savage from last year was right—District 12 is back on the map!"

"And what a wonderful tale that is!" Caesar agreed, "ah, Sacajawea my dear, you are a girl full of surprises… what will you be able to offer us once you're in the arena?"  
>"The same ol' stuff you see everyone doing there," Saki shrugged, "killing, surviving, winning… that whole deal. If I lose… well, then hopefully someone decent wins, right?" she chuckled. The audience laughed with her, and even Caesar threw his head back in his typical "hoho!" fashion, his bright orange hair nearly flying backwards. For someone so old (he had started interviewing as far back as the 35th Hunger Games), he, like Snow himself, seemed to have the best of Capitol medicine at his disposal, which was a sure cause in prolonging his life.<p>

Soon enough, Saki's interview wrapped up, and Caesar gave her the fanfare she deserved.

"Ladies and gentlemen… Sacajawea Kwan, District 12!"  
>The crowds absolutely loved her. As she walked past Victor and Korra, however, she approached Jeremy as the boy's name was called.<p>

"Nice act, Saki," he winked, and Saki smirked, as the two briefly high-fived each other without even stopping their walking.

"I do what I can," she shrugged, walking off as Jeremy took the stage. His interview was not as intriguing as Saki's, since Caesar did not seem to be trying to provoke him the way it seemed he had for Saki. Korra thought long and hard about this. The Capitol must have really had it out for Saki for them to try and go this far just to try and break her. Furthermore, Sacajawea clearly had many talents if she was that talented of an actress. Apparently Snow had seen right through it, however.

Jeremy's interview ended with moderate fanfare, and soon he caught up with his partner, while Korra and Victor returned to their apartment.

"Well that was certainly an interesting spectacle," Victor commented once Clove and Amy came into view again. Either of you have any insights about all that?"

"She's a cunning one," Amy warned, "watch her closely, but don't count her out of your alliance just yet. She's clearly playing the Capitol though."  
>Clove and Amy exchanged glances, but this time Korra noticed.<p>

"Another thing," she piped up, "Victor and I had this feeling you two were hiding something from us. You seem to exchange those looks a lot around each other. What's up?"  
>"Nothing, really," Amy shrugged, her expression not changing, "Clove and I exchange looks all the time. It's a victor thing really. In fact—we'll be happy to let you in on all of our secrets if you're able to win the games. Any time sooner and they'll just bog down your mind and possibly get you killed by District 11 in the bloodbath or something."<p>

"So you DO have secrets!" Korra exclaimed,

"Everyone does," Clove retorted, "and like hell are we going to tell you kids everything. I can tell you right now, however, that other than our obvious attempts and hopes of keeping you two alive and bringing one of you home, none of our secrets involve you at the moment."

"Fine, I overreacted," Korra sighed, "It's just… I feel like I'm missing something here. Maybe I'm in the wrong, but I do feel justified in being at least a little concerned about what my mentors are saying behind my back, considering that this is my life on the line we are talking about."  
>"Don't worry," Amy promised, "we're still on your side. We've taken interest in Sacajawea simply because of curious circumstances surrounding her reaping as told to us by Aveline from '12. We are not going to take her side though. You and Victor are our main targets, and we are bringing one of you home or so help me."<p>

"I suppose that is good enough to know then…" Korra sighed softly. "thank you. I need a bit of air."  
>"You've got all night, I suppose," Clove chuckled, watching as Korra stepped out onto the balcony, before closing the door behind her.<p>

She was joined a few minutes later by Victor, who gazed out at the dazzling Capitol lights alongside her.

"I wonder what the kids up in '11 and '12 are seeing right now," he cocked his head upward briefly, knowing that the tributes in the higher districts got a better view of the magnificent city.

"The last day of their lives?" Korra joked. "Actually, something tells me they won't be dying in the opening minutes—I hope Saki stays alive till the end at least."

"Just don't go running off with her like Chel did," Victor teased, "unless you two are going to make out or something. I'd watch it."  
>Korra's face went as viciously red as her dress. "Do you want to learn just how hard I can hit you with these fists?" she sneered.<p>

"Whoa, whoa!" Victor chuckled, "If you actually like her, that's not my business. How you feel about anyone else in this building not named Victor Caruso is between you and them. I was just ruffling your feathers, Korra."  
>"Marcus Romero you are certainly not!" Korra shook her head, hoping that her blush would soon go away. "Let's not try to provoke each other too much—at least as long as our alliance stands, okay?"<br>"Fine, fine…" Victor chuckled. "It's hard to think that in just a few hours we'll be in a death arena, isn't it? It seems like only yesterday we were racing for the stage."  
>"Well," Korra smirked, her attitude improving at the thought, "it's what we do. we've trained our whole lives for this moment, and so we gotta make it count, right?"<br>"Exactly," Victor approved, "let's let our skills do the talking in the arena. We probably shouldn't stay up too late."  
>"Fair enough," Korra chuckled, "Goodnight, Victor."<br>"Goodnight Korra."  
>The two of them changed out of their interview attire before crashing on their beds. Tomorrow would not just be a big day—for several children, it would be the last day of their lives.<p> 


	13. Chapter 13: The Games Begin

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And with this, the 93rd Annual Hunger Games kick off! Kill counts increase, alliances are made, and Korra might have developed a secret crush, or maybe she's finally just discovering a girl that might be her first actual friend. It's hard to tell at this point, but the 93rd arena will surely hold plenty of surprises._  
><em>Happy Reading!<em>

**CHAPTER 13: The Games Begin**

Korra and Victor woke up the next morning feeling fairly optimistic about their chances. They were powerful trained career tributes, and so they knew that they would not be dying in the bloodbath. Korra showered for the day, and for what might be her last time, before returning and finding some neatly folded black and grey clothes on her bed. The getup consisted of the same boots, gloves, pants and T-shirt that had been used for many years now—but the outfit was simple and practical. Korra felt like it also kept the mystery of what kind of arena they would be thrown into as well. The clothes fit Korra perfectly, and she imagined that other than size differences, the only differences each district would see were the numbers on their shoulders. Korra's shirt obviously bore a number 2.

"Are you ready for this?" Amy raised her eyebrows as Victor and Korra came to the breakfast table.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Victor chortled, "we've got this thing in the bag. You'll be able to bring home your victor, Amy."  
>"…whether his name is Victor or not," Korra added. "We've got a promising career pack this year—and I don't think Sacajawea is a pushover."<br>"I think you liiiiiiike her…" Victor teased, earning a punch from Korra.

"HUSH!" she did seem to get very defensive, "can a girl respect another girl without your mind producing images of them making out?"

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes during breakfast, after which Victor apologized, and Korra forgave him. Shortly afterwards, Peacekeepers came to haul them off to their potential deaths.

As careers, Victor and Korra were not worried about dying in the bloodbath, although they could certainly see fear in the eyes of some of the other tributes as they boarded the hovercraft. Korra saw Saki bumping fists with her partner Jeremy before they boarded the hovercraft.

Some of the tributes were excited, while others seemed cool and level-headed. Despite knowing that she was going to die, Saki sat there calmly, a small smirk on her face even as the Peacekeepers came around to shoot the trackers up their arms.

The ride to the arena was not a very long one, and soon Victor, Korra, and the others found themselves in the underground catacombs that would lead to the launch tubes and thus, the arena. Korra found herself alone for a moment before she was met by Misaha, who had something in her hands that she clearly wanted to give the young tribute. Korra figured Zakuya was giving something to Victor right around now as well.

"What's this?" she asked, mostly hoping the stylist would open her hand. She did so, revealing a little necklace with a golden circle the size of a dime in the middle. On one side was a number 2, and on the opposite side was a little bird with its wings spread.

"Is this mine?" Korra looked skeptical, but then realized that she had not brought a tribute token with her, and so she put the necklace around her neck, tucking the 'coin' into her shirt. She knew that Misaha was not going to verbally answer her question, and the silent but sweet little nod from the white-haired lady indicated the answer to Korra's question.

Soon, however, the time came for Korra to enter the tubes alongside 23 other boys and girls, which would take them to their pedestals, which in turn would take them to the arena. The glass closed around Korra as she stepped inside and she felt herself get slowly elevated to the surface.

As Korra rose up to her pedestal, she lifted a hand to her squinting eyes in reaction to the bright sunlight beating down on her visage. As her eyes adjusted to the new brightness, she saw the golden cornucopia in front of her, its mouth overflowing with weapons and supplies. Most notably, she saw Victor a few spots over far to her right, and at the cornucopia, she saw a wicked-looking sword that was jagged like a lightning-bolt. She knew exactly what weapon she would be fighting to get.

Seconds later, the ominous countdown that signaled the end of several lives began.

"_Sixty… Fifty-Nine… Fifty-Eight…"_

Glancing to her left, she saw the boy from District 5 eying a nearby set of throwing knives, and the girl from District 11 to her right was cracking her knuckles and taking a deep breath as if mentally preparing herself for what was coming. Blinking again, Korra took the next few seconds of the now ticking clock to get an idea of the arena's geography. The grey and brown of the rocky terrain clashed with the vivid blueness of the cloudless sky above her, and it was clear that she would be in her element: rocks and mountains. This was District 2's native element. She was ready for this.

"_Nineteen… Eighteen… Seventeen…"_

Victor was rolling his shoulders as well, clearly rather pumped up for this moment. He (and Sacajawea) had scored higher than any of the other tributes, and so his confidence level was about as high as his odds. Not that Korra expected to die in the bloodbath—no, she expected to survive and also to score a few kills like any respectable career would. Within seconds, Korra knew that it would be time to crack down and make a break for the cornucopia.

"_Three… Two… One…"_

There was a mad dash for the cornucopia as all but a few tributes made their way towards it. Vivian was the first one to reach it, proving her agility. She grabbed what appeared to be a razor-sharp boomerang and lobbed it towards Melinda Franz of District 9—who never saw it coming. She dropped instantly, and Vivian snagged some supplies. District 10's male tribute was the next victim to die, getting clubbed in the back of the head by Laura's swinging arm. That District 11 girl had some girth.

Korra had to zigzag her way through the others, including barely dodging a strike from the District 8 boy, before she saw the girl from District 7 get cut down by Victor. She was a little miffed that he had gotten a kill before she had, but at the same time, Korra was simply doing what she had to in order to win. However, Korra finally managed to grab that jagged-looking sword and soon she got to work. The boy that had been next to her—Darian Croft from District 5, had just grabbed his throwing knives when Korra stabbed him in the back. Moments later, she saw the boy from '4 get a spear through his chest courtesy of Garrett Locke.

Sacajawea managed to fend off a few assailants before she joined Vivian with a bow at her side. It seemed that District 12 girl was sticking with the career pack. She pulled out an arrow and skillfully assassinated District 10's girl with an arrow between the eyes, while Korra went in to finish off District 7's boy. She loved how the sword felt in her hands—it was as if the weapon was made for her. Seconds later, she beheaded the boy from District 9, right as Sacajawea shot down District 8's Suzanne Weaver.

By this point, the bloodbath was starting to die down as Cobalt, Vivian, Victor, Korra, and Sacajawea took control of the cornucopia as the District 11 pair fled with Jeremy into the rocky valleys surrounding them. An odd spectacle was that Garrett had his partner Alayna on his shoulders and a pack on his back, but he was too far off for the others to do anything, and Saki would rather not provoke that giant boy just yet. To her surprise, the others seemed to like her.

"Nice work," Vivian complimented her, "you really weren't joking about those archery skillz were you?"

"Nope," Saki nodded, "skillz with a Z. What's our next plan?"  
>Saki had a very professional air to her words, it seemed, and Korra couldn't help but admire it. Was she falling for this girl? She would certainly like to think not, but Sacajawea certainly had some charm to her that could at least warrant her to be a good friend while they were both still alive.<p>

"Gather the supplies," Victor ordered, "there's not a whole lot of foodstuffs this year, so we might have to go on a hunt like the careers did last year.

"Hopefully we don't run into any Night Witches like the kids last year," Saki quipped, and the others nodded in agreement. Few people would likely forget the Night Witches—those red-eyed humanoid mutts from the 92nd and 91st Hunger Games. Similarly, it was not likely that anyone would soon lose memories of the nefarious District 11 pair from the year before that had somehow managed to "reprogram" those mutts and make them fight at their side. Korra wondered if there would be any tributes like those this year—ordinary boys and girls that had managed to do crazy things that made them remembered. She hoped that she could do something like that. As she wiped the blood off of her sword, she went to help Saki gather the supplies inward. The 93rd Annual Hunger Games had begun.


End file.
